Track-clearer



' J. LYKER. Track-Clearer.

him-223,365. I Patentd Jan. 6, i880...

Will? 663661 172mm fan 1 NJEYERS. PHOTO-L THOGRAPHER WASHINGTON D C UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN LYKER, OF ROOT, NEW YORK.

TRACK-CLEARER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 223,365, dated January 6, 1880.

Application filed November 26, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN LYKER, of Root, in the county of Montgomery and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Track-Olearers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved trackclearer. Fig. 2 is a view of the same, partly in side view and partly in section and Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 00 w of Fig. 2.

The same part in the several figures is denoted by the same letter.

This invention contemplates improvements in track-clearers specially designed for railroad-tracks; and it consists in the detailed construction and arrangement of the constituent parts, substantially as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, A is theinclined platform or floor of the car or transporting medium of the clearer, mounted upon truck-wheels a a. At the forward or lower end of the platform are arranged parallel upright blades B B, upon which is secured a horizontal guard, G, with cutting front edges curving from and upon each side of a vertical partition orbreast, c,of said guard, to throw the snow to each side of the clearer. The special function of the upright blades or guards is to divide up the bank of snow, and that of the guard O is to remove and cut into the crust of the snow, preparatory to the action of the revolving clearers presently described.

D D are the revolving clearers, consisting of parallel bladed shafts d d, journaled at their forward ends in two of the upright guards or blades B, and at their rear ends in a suitable support, 6, secured upon the platform A. The rear ends of these shafts extend through and are provided at the rear side of said support 6 with beveled-gear wheels f f, gearing with other similar wheels,g 9, upon a transverse shaft, 71, supported upon suitable supports 'i, secured upon said platform.

A second transverse shaft, j, connecting with an engine or other motor, and mounted upon the supports '5, and connecting with the gear-wheel shaft h by pitmen la and cranks 7c, is to drive and rotate the bladed shaftsor clearers D D. In practice I make the connection with the engine or motor directly through the shaft h.

These shafts are disposed in an inclined position, with their forward ends lowest, and are preferably of a conical or tapering rectangular form, to give the even lengthed blades or paddles E, a series of which is secured to each of their sides, as shown or other wise a corres )ondilv ta )erin arran 'ement 7 h b b 7 each succeeding blade proceeding rearward, projecting symmetrically beyond the preceding one, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

This arrangement of the parts permits the revolving blades to conform to and strike and hurl the snow from the inclined platform A.

Centrally secured to the platform A and between the two revolving bladed shafts or clearers, and at the sides of the platform, are secured beveled longitudinal pieces I l, which serve to aid the action of the clearers upon and to remove the snow from the platform. While the preferable way of securing the aforesaid arrangement of the blades E is that above described, the same end maybe attained by affixing to a plain shaft gradually rearwardly-increasing length of blades.

The action of the oppositely-revolving parallel clearers is to comminute and hurl the snow from the platform to each side thereof or the track over which the clearer is passing, and thus clear the track of the snow.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. In a track-clearer, the combination, with the tapering rectangular shafts having afiixed to their sides series of even-lengthed blades, of the inclined platform with its front-end upright and horizontal blades or guards, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a track-clearer, the combination, with the inclined shafts having affixed to their beveled central and side pieces and front-end sides series of blades or paddles and operathorizontal and upright guards, substantially ing mechanism, of the inclined platform havas and for the purpose set forth. ingthefront-end horizontaland upright guards In testimony that I claim the foregoing I 5 or blades, substantially as and for the purpose have hereunto set my hand and seal this 3d 15 set forth. day of November 1879.

3. In a track-clearer, the combination, with JOHN LYKER. [L. 8.} theinclined shafts having affixed to their sides Witnesses: series of blades or paddles and operating FRED. F. VVENDELL, 1o mechanism of the inclined platform having E. S. VAN DEUSEN. 

